Beyond Monday To Sunday

MONDAY

The boat ride to the private island took almost two hours, but the beautiful view made it enjoyable.  As she stepped down from the boat, Joy was grateful to her Irene unnie for suggesting this trip, not knowing that she was in for a surprise.  Thanking the boat crew, she took her bags and headed for the cottage.  A little tired from the trip, Joy went straight to the bedroom as soon as she entered.  She started to unpack when she heard a faint sound coming from the shower.  Snatching her hairdryer to use as a weapon, Joy tiptoed towards the bathroom and silently grabbed the doorknob.  She was about to turn the handle when the door suddenly opened inwards, pulling her with it.  Joy stumbled inside, colliding into a solid wall of chest muscles.  Staggering back from the impact, Joy would have fallen flat on her butt if it weren't for the strong arm that wrapped around her waist to steady her.

"Careful," said the deep voice that left Joy frozen.

She would recognize that voice anywhere.  Looking up to the face of the speaker, Joy's eyes widen as her suspicion was confirmed.  "Sungjae!" she said breathlessly.

Both in shock, they stared at each other for a moment, until Joy became aware of her palms lying flat on Sungjae's bare chest.  As if she got burned, Joy quickly removed her hands, stepping out of his embrace.

"Oh! I... Uhm... I'll wait for you outside," Joy said, walking hurriedly out of the room, noticing only then the small luggage and fishing gears near the door.  Joy fanned herself.  She could feel her cheeks blushing.

Shaking himself out of his daze, Sungjae realized he was still half-naked, with only a towel covering the lower half of his body.  Not used to other people seeing his bare body, his ears turned red when he remembered that, not only did Joy saw him without a shirt, she also inadvertently touched his chest.  Expelling a deep breath, Sungjae took out a change of clothes and got dressed.

Sungjae found Joy leaning on the French doors that led out to the deck, looking out into the ocean.  Joy turned when she heard him clear his throat.  Recalling the incident in the bedroom, they both flushed red from embarrassment.

"Uhm... sorry about what happened earlier. I thought I was alone," Sungjae said awkwardly.

"Yeah. About that. Why are you here?" Joy asked him.

"Seeing that I got here first, maybe I should ask you that," Sungjae replied, leaning against the deck railings.

"Fair enough," Joy acknowledged.  "Well, SME gave us a week's rest, and I kind of mentioned to my members that I wanted to get out of the city for a while but I don't want to stay at my parents' home," she explained.  "Irene unnie told me she has a friend who owns a private island, and so ..." Joy trailed off, turning to him.  "Wait! Are you the owner?" Joy asked.

"I wish. But, no. I just rented the island," Sungjae said.

"I see. Then obviously, there was some confusion. I'll just go back. And I'm sorry I disrupted your vacation," Joy said, turning towards the bedroom to get her things.

"I'm sorry but you can't leave," Sungjae said, stopping her on her tracks.

"Why not?" Joy asked nervously.

"Because the boat won't be coming back until my scheduled pick up which is on Sunday," Sungjae informed her.

Upon hearing this, Joy took out her cellphone.  "Don't bother. There's no cell signal here," Sungjae commented.

"So how do you contact the boat operators?" Joy asked him.

"There's a two-way radio, in case of emergency. But if you're going to call them just to pick you up now, they won't come," Sungjae informed her.

"No! No! No! I can't stay here. I need to go back," Joy protested, shaking her head in denial.  Sungjae chuckled humorlessly.  "What's so funny?" Joy said.

"Getting into this island without being noticed by the media and fans is hard. Having a time off from our busy schedule is harder. I presume, you came here so you can get away from the prying eyes even for a while. And yet you're willing to give up the chance to relax and risk the reporters knowing where you are just so you wouldn't have to stay here with me. Do you really hate me that much?" Sungjae asked her.

"What? No. I don't hate you," Joy denied.

"You could've fooled me," Sungjae scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Joy bristled.

"You don't acknowledge me when we meet at events. You don't talk to me. You won't even look at me. You act like I don't exist," Sungjae said.

"I don't hate you, Sungjae-ssi. I really don't. It's just that... Aish! I don't know how to explain it," Joy said.  "Besides, who gave you the right to say that when you're doing the same thing to me?" she challenged him.

"Whatever," Sungjae shrugged, straightening up.  Looking at his watch, he saw that it was almost 6:00PM.  "Anyway, it's almost dinnertime. I'm going to cook ramyeon, and there's kimchi. I'm sure you haven't eaten anything since you left the city, so why don't you eat with me?" he offered, heading for the small kitchen.  Sungjae glanced back to check if she followed and saw Joy still rooted to the spot.  Sighing, he walked back to her.  "Come on. I make the best ramyeon," he cajoled.  Taking her by the hand, Sungjae pulled Joy to the kitchen and made her sit on one of the stools.  Joy flushed, glancing at their linked hands.

After their simple dinner, Joy volunteered to wash the dishes since Sungjae did the cooking.  She headed back to the living room after cleaning up the kitchen just as Sungjae was coming out of the bedroom carrying pillows and blankets.  "Where are you taking those?" Joy asked.

"This cottage has only one room. You take it. I'll sleep on the couch," Sungjae said, dumping the stuff on the couch.

"But you rented this island. I'm the one who came here by mistake. I can't let you sleep in that," Joy argued, pointing to the couch.

"Assuming that's not an invitation to share the bed with you, I'll be fine. The couch is wide enough for me. Besides, eomma won't forgive me and my hyungdeul will probably kill me if I take the bed and let you sleep on the couch," Sungjae said as he prepared his sleeping area.  Seeing her dilemma, he stopped what he was doing and faced Joy.  "Look. You're welcome to stay here, if you want. The pantry is well stocked. There's more than enough food for the two of us. And the island is isolated so you can get all the peace and quiet that you're craving for. I, of all people, know the need to take a break and get away from all the craziness even for a while. And in any case, the boat is definitely not coming back today. So, like it or not, you're stuck here. Well, at least for tonight. But if you still want to go back to the city tomorrow, I'll radio for the boat to pick you up," he offered, gently pushing her towards the bedroom.  "Think about it, and tell me what you decide in the morning," Sungjae suggested.  "Oh! And Sooyoung. You don't need to worry if you decide to stay. I don't bite," he said as he closed the door.  Not unless you want me to, Sungjae added to himself with a grin.

Joy leaned back on the door for a moment, mulling on his suggestion, before heading for the bed.  As she settled back on the soft bed, she realized something.  "Wait! Did he just call me Sooyoung?" she wondered to herself.